This Beat Is Technotronic

I’ve been playing a lot of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City recently and as you probably know, especially if you’re a gamer type, Vice City contains a fairly extensive sountrack filled with a variety of classic songs from the 80’s. It’s really reminded me of how much I like some of the music from that decade. Sure it was saturated with synthesizers and outrageously gaudy fashion statements, but it was fun damn it. As a result, I have been inspired to write about a band that has probably been forgotten about by most of the U.S. since then. Of course I’m talking about Technotronic. What? You couldn’t tell that from the title of the post?

MC Eric (Rapper), Ya Kid K (Rapper), Felly (Dancer/Model)

Quick sidenote about the above picture and the corresponding caption, I’m not exactly sure if the guy on the left is MC Eric (educated guess) and I’m only kinda sure that the girl on the right is Felly, but I’m definitely sure that the girl in the middle is Ya Kid K. I can’t find any pictures associated with MC Eric on the web, but he was the only male to work with Technotronic other than producer Jo Bogaert that I can think of, and since Bogaert’s a goofy looking white dude then he’s definitely not the guy in the picture. The weird thing about Felly is that she didn’t actually provide any musical talents to the band, she was there for her good looks and dance moves. Bogaert brought her onboard to appear on the album covers and in the music videos to give the band an attractive image since the real female vocalist, Ya Kid K, was only 15 years old and still in school at the time. But the reason I’m not sure if the woman on the right is Felly is because she’s not wearing her distinctive bright blue lipstick. But the resemblance is similar enough to make me decently sure that it’s her. You can judge for yourself by looking at the album cover below and comparing it to the band photo.

Anyway, I’m not sure how many of you remember Technotronic from back in the day. Their music was pretty popular for a short time, appearing in a soundtrack or two, playing in clubs around the world, and getting exposure in the music video curcuit. Some of you might remember their song “Pump Up the Jam,” which was their first big hit. It was monstrously popular in Europe and eventually made its way to the U.S. You may even remember “Move This,” which was used in a Revlon commercial starring Cindy Crawford. Whoa, that takes me back. I know all the fellas out there are thinking of a young, sexy Cindy Crawford grinding her hips to that funkay beat. Any decent, red-blooded American boy had a crush on her back in the 80’s and early 90’s. Unless you swung the other way, in which case you were probably crushing on the New Kids on the Block.

Getting back to Technotronic, I can’t think of a better dance group from the 80’s. I mean, when I hear as many electronic claps as they have in their songs, I immediately think “revolutionary.” They were ballsy enough to say, “We will not resort to using our primitive hands of flesh to produce sound! We have synthesizers that can create a sound similar enough to clapping that we do not have to waste precious manpower on such a menial task.” Well, maybe they didn’t really say that, but who can tell for sure in this day of media saturation? Seriously though, Technotronic makes some damn fun music. These are some old school dance tunes that can still get some booties shaking.

Buy Pump Up the Jam: The Album by Technotronic

Technotronic feat. Felly – Pump Up the Jam*
Technotronic feat. MC Eric – This Beat Is Technotronic
Technotronic feat. Ya Kid K – Move This
Technotronic feat. Ya Kid K – Rockin’ Over the Beat

*I know I said that Felly never contributed anything musical to the albums, but she is listed as an artist on the album for “Pump Up the Jam.” I’m guessing they did that to give the band a little more credibility since she lip-synched to Ya Kid K’s raps in the the accompanying music video.